


Made of Love: A Short Story

by TriforceofWisdom92



Series: Steven Universe: The Diamond Legacy [2]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon), Steven Universe: The Light Series (Video Games)
Genre: Adventure, Aunt-Niece Relationship, Autism Spectrum, Childhood, Childhood Memories, Children, F/F, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Female Character, Prequel, Stuffed Toys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:40:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28917738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TriforceofWisdom92/pseuds/TriforceofWisdom92
Summary: A short story prequel set nine years before Steven Universe: The Diamond Legacy.Seven year old Nora figures out Garnet is a Fusion but  she is too shy to ask her aunt if she is right. Luckily Garnet knows of the little girl's curiosity, leading to the youngest member of the  Crystal Gems to learn the story of her mysterious Aunt and meet Ruby and Sapphire for the first time.
Relationships: Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe, Ruby/Sapphire (Steven Universe)
Series: Steven Universe: The Diamond Legacy [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2119158
Kudos: 3





	1. A Curious Observation

  
Nora always knew there was something strange about her tallest aunt. 

Garnet had always been a mysterious figure to her as long as she could remember. She didn't talk much, she always covered her eyes with sunglasses, and she always looked at the little girl as if trying to figure out everything about her without asking.

Even weirder Aunt Garnet always seemed to know exactly what she was doing! Like when she tried to sneak some extra cookies from the cabinet and before she even stepped foot in the kitchen Aunt Garnet was standing right there with a smirk and her arms crossed. Or the other day when Nora wanted to go on the beach by herself and count the boats. (She was a big girl now, seven years old, and she didn't need to be watched like a baby anymore!) Aunt Garnet stopped her and told Nora firmly if she wanted to go on the beach, she had to have someone with her. When she offered to take her there, Nora quickly shook her head and ran upstairs, clutching her plush blue dragon, Rigby. 

It was like the Gem was always watching her even when she wasn't looking at her! Maybe that's why she was always so shy around her. She knew everything about Nora and Nora knew very little about her. Nora never spoke to Garnet without the Gem talking to her first, and when she did, the little girl didn't speak much, getting out a few words the most (Nora was like this with most people, both humans and Gems.) Garnet also acted differently than other Gems, making it very hard for the girl to understand her.

But Nora believed she now understood her Gem Aunt a little more, and if her observations were right, she would know her Aunt Garnet better.

"Daddy?" She tugged at her father's jacket when he was talking with her mother and Aunt Pearl. "What is it Rosebud?" He looked at her and smiled. Nora wasn't sure she wanted to ask this question if front of her mom and aunt. What if they didn't notice what Nora saw and got scared for Garnet? She pulled at Steven's sleeve, looking at the front porch. Steven understood his daughter. "Just a minute guys." He politely excused himself, walking out with Nora onto the porch.

"What's wrong Nora. Are you okay?" He asked Nora concerned. She nodded. "I have a question." "Okay? What is it Pumpkin? I'm all ears." Steven said. _No you're not, you have a face._ Nora thought to herself confused. "Is Aunt Garnet more than one Gem?" 

Steven looked at his daughter surprised. Nora had no problem speaking with her Dad, even though she had trouble finding words to say, but she asked her question as clearly as possible, so why did he look at her like he was confused?

"Why do you think that, Rosebud?" Nora explained her observations. "Because she has two gems on her hands." She held up her palms. "And three eyes, and sometimes she talks to herself like I sometimes do. I know a few More than One Gems, like the toy store owner and the one at the boardwalk who gives me free ice cream. They always have more than one gem on them, and sometimes they have more than two eyes. So I'm thinkin' Aunt Garnet is a More Than One Gem too. Is she Dad? Am I right?"

Nora was very confused by her father's bright smile. "Why don't you ask Aunt Garnet yourself?" Nora clutched Rigby and shook her head. "Why not? Don't worry, that's not a rude question at all." Nora mumbled and shook her head again. "Okay. How about I go with you when you ask her? Will that make you feel better?" Nora nodded. 

They found Garnet on the hand of the Obsidian Statue, looking out on the beach with her hand on the protective railing surrounding it. "Hi Garnet." Steven greeted her. "Nora want's to ask you something." He nudged his daughter encouragingly. "Go on."

Even when Garnet kneeled to her level with a smile, Nora hid behind her Dad. "It's okay Nora, you don't have to be shy. It's a really good question." The girl nodded, gingerly stepping in front of her father she held out Rigby and front of Garnet. "Nora wants to ask you if you are more than one Gem." She spoke in a grumbly dragon voice. "Because you have two gems instead of one, and you have three eyes, and we know other Gems that are More Than One who have the same things so we think you're like them too."

Garnet made a soft chuckle. "You're right, I am more than one Gem. I'm a Fusion of two Gems." She held out her palms, revealing two gemstones. Nora gaped. "See?" She talked as Rigby. "I knew we were right!"

"You are very clever Nora, to have figured that out on your own." Her Aunt complimented. "Most humans don't."

"I sure didn't." Steven chuckled. "Not until I was captured on a spaceship. You're a very smart girl, making observations like that and having the right answer."

Nora smiled and blushed. 

"Would you like to know about the two Gems that make up me?"

She nodded, bouncing excitedly he feet. Nora loved learning about new Gems, and these two were her Aunts! 

Aunt Garnet offered her hand. "Come with me Nora, I'll tell you everything you want to know." Nora looked at her dad nervously, who nodded. She held the Fusion's hand as they stepped onto the warp pad.


	2. An Extraordinary Tale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a retelling of 'The Answer' which I copied the transcript from and edited. That story was created by Rebecca Sugar and the Crewniverse and credit goes fully to them. However, because Garnet is telling it to a young autistic child, she tells in a way that Nora can understand, and Nora, being the inquisitive little girl that she is, has a lot of questions.
> 
> Enjoy!

Nora sat in her mother's lap next to her father and the rest of the Gems as they sat in a semi circle on the beach, with Garnet front of her. "This is gonna be good." Her cousin Amethyst nudged and winked at her.

Garnet looked at Nora and spoke to her. "I want you to imagine a floating city in the clouds, surrounded by blue sky. It looks like an upside down wedding cake." Nora nodded, easily picturing the scene in her head.

"This is where our story begins." Garnet began to tell her tale. "The Earth, thousands of ago; it was a promising site of a new Gem colony, but progress was being stopped by a small, persistent group of rebels. A team of diplomatic Gems were sent from Homeworld to investigate. Among those Gems was Sapphire, a Homeworld Gem with the power to see into the future. Assigned to her were three Rubies, common soldiers, with a mission to protect her."  
  


Nora already liked this story. It was about the Rebellion! The fight that her Grandma led and one to protect the planet Earth! She nestled comfortably in her mom's lap and hugged Rigby snuggly against her chest. All of her attention was on her aunt. "Sapphire had been called to Earth by Blue Diamond, specifically to share her vision of the future."

" Aunt Blue was there?" Nora exclaimed surprised smile. "Yes. She had a court in the Cloud Arena and she was on Earth to watch the growing colony."  
  


"I foresee the rebels attacking the Cloud Arena. "Sapphire warned Blue . "Before they are cornered, they will destroy the physical forms of seven gems, including two of my Ruby guards, and myself. Immediately after my form is destroyed, the rebels will be captured. The rebellion ends here."

"But it didn't!" Nora piped in. "Honey. Let Aunt Garnet tell the rest of the story." Connie gently told her daughter. "Okay. Sorry."

Garnet continued.  
  
"Thank you, Sapphire." Blue Diamond said, relieved. "That's all I needed to know."I look forward to speaking with you again once I reform back on Homeworld.  
Sapphire knew she would be poofed, but she wasn't afraid. She saw her whole life laid out before her, and she had already accepted all of it. "What a beautiful place to build a colony. I wish I could have seen more of this planet." She told the Ruby guard wistfully. Ruby was confused. "Uh... there's still time."  
  
  
  


"That is a nice thought, but... no."

Suddenly out of nowhere came a flash of light, and a loud commanding voice called throughout the entire arena. "Blue Diamond, leave this planet! This colony will not be completed!"

"Grandma and Aunt Pearl!!" Nora exclaimed, looking over at her aunt in starry-eyed admiration.

That's right. It was them. The attack was right on schedule and it happened exactly how Sapphire saw it. The two rebels fought the Ruby guards and poofed two of them, and then they went straight for her! She knew what was about to happen. "Thank you, Ruby. You did your best."

Ruby suddenly realized what Sapphire meant. She had known that Ruby would fail. Sapphire had accepted it. But Ruby... Ruby could not. She ran to Sapphire and pushed her out of the way, but in that moment something incredible happened. They fused.

"Wow!" Nora gasped.

"Yes. Wow." Garnet smiled. "Everyone thought the same thing, even the rebels, but they left quickly before the Homeworld Gems could catch them, leaving the new Fusion alone. She was shocked seeing her new form and quickly defused. Everyone was watching them."

"I bet they were so amazed seeing you for the first time." Nora said. "That must've been so happy."

"I wish, but the Homeworld Gems were very angry. Back in those days, fusions were only allowed between the same Gem types. This was the first time ever there was a fusion between two Gems, and not just that, they were two Gems of different classes, and that was very, very wrong."

"No it isn't." Nora said confused. "There's Fusions like that everywhere, and there all good, and nobody thinks they're bad. I don't! Why would they think that's wrong?"

"Because it wasn't part of how Gems lived." Steven said. "Things were very different back then, everyone had a place and role they had to live by and anything that was different from what they're supposed to be, was wrong."

"But that's not fair."

"You're right. It's not." Her dad agreed. "But that's how it was back then and it took hundreds of years for things to change."

Garnet continued when Nora was quiet.

Blue Diamond was very upset. "The rebels have fled. Sapphire, this was not the scenario you described!" she yelled at Ruby and Sapphire angrily. "This is... not what I saw! I don't know what happened, I..." Sapphire cried.

" No! It was me!" Ruby took the blame.

"Clearly." Said Blue Diamond. "How dare you fuse with a member of my court?"  
"Forgive me." Ruby pleaded, but Blue Diamond wasn't having any of it. "You will be broken for this." She clenched her fist angrily.

"No!" Nora stood up from her mom's lap. She couldn't believe she was hearing any of this! "Aunt Blue would never do that! She's so good and kind, and she loves all her Gems. She definitely loves me and I'm different."

Aunt Blue had been nothing but kind and loving to Nora her whole life. Out of the three Diamonds she was the closest to her. She couldn't imagine the same Diamond who sung lullabies for her to sleep, or carried her around in the hammock of her hair as they explored Earth, even played with her in the healing spring, gently brushing the little girl's hair afterward with a talking comb, would shatter someone for something they did by accident.

" Blue Diamond was a different person back then. She was not the loving Aunt you know now." Garnet said.

"She changed, Rosebud." Steven explained to her. "She became a better person once she knew what really happened to Grandma. People change throughout there lives, even Gems, and your great-aunt changed for the better. She strived to become a better person and she did."

"Like how Rhodri used to be a bully but now he's my friend?" Nora asked, referring to her classmate.

"Exactly like him."

Nora felt a lot better knowing that.

"Maybe she isn't ready to hear this yet." Connie remarked from Nora's previous distress.

"No! I wanna know what happens!" She turned to Garnet. "Please?"

"Of course." Garnet smiled. "But I need you to sit down first." Nora quickly plopped herself in her mother's lap.

"Ruby took Sapphire's hand and they jumped off the Cloud Arena into the unknown world below them, frightened and confused from everything that happened. Especially Sapphire. Sapphire had known every moment of her life. How it would happen, and when. But because Ruby saved her , she suddenly jumped the track of fate, and everything from that instant on was wrong, and new. She couldn't see, she couldn't move. She was... frozen"

"I know how that feels." Nora remarked. "I don't like big changes either." Her parents chuckled. "What? It's true."

"But you know what Nora?" Garnet smiled at her. "Just like you have your Mom and Dad to comfort and support you, Ruby and Sapphire had each other. As they roamed Earth discovering its secrets, they discovered feelings about one another. Those feelings grew into something neither of them expected." Nora didn't know why, but somehow she heard a song play in her mind.

_Where did we go?_   
_What did we do?_   
_I think we made something_   
_Entirely new_   
_And it wasn't quite me_   
_And it wasn't quite you_   
_I think it was someone_   
_Entirely new_

_Oh...um_   
_Well I just can't stop thinking_

_So...um_   
_Did you say I was different?_

_And you hadn't before?_

_Of course not_   
_When would I have ever?_

_I'm so sorry_

_No, no, don't be_

_And now you're here forever!_

_What about you?_

_What about me?_

_Well you're here too_

_We're here together_

_._   
_Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm..._

_Hmmm hmm hmm hmm hmm..._   
_Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm..._   
_Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm..._   
_Hmm hmm hmm hmmm hmmmm.._

One day they decided to fuse again. As they danced among the beauty of Earth a soft glow casted over them. I was back; I was someone and I didn't know who. But I felt I was getting the hang of my strange new form. ...And then I fell.

"Uh oh."

"Right into the two rebels."

"Oh no!" Nora looked at Pearl. "You didn't hurt her right Aunt Pearl?"

"We didn't." She laughed. "But I'd be lying if I said we weren't shocked at first. We've never seen anything like Aunt Garnet before."

"Did Grandma think she was bad too?"

"Not at all." Pearl said. "Your grandma accepted Garnet who she was on the spot."

Garnet nodded. "Nora, there are people in this world who will think cruelly of you because you are different and they don't understand you. But there are many more who will love and accept you for who you are. Those are the people worth standing by."

She kneeled at Nora's eye level. "Would you like to meet Ruby and Sapphire?"

"Yes!" Nora stimmed excitedly with her feet. "Can I? Right now?"

"You will this week. I promise."

Nora was beyond excited. She thanked Garnet for the story and couldn't wait to meet her two Aunts.


	3. City Building with Sapphire

  
It was too hot for Nora to play outside today. The little girl was very disappointed, she wanted to bring her Lizzie Lemur animal figures on the beach and pretend to go on a desert adventure with them and Rigby the dragon. Unknowing to her, she was in for a big surprise.

"Nora can you come here for a minuet?" Her father called. She held Rigby tightly, afraid she was in trouble.( her parent's usually said that when she did something wrong). "Did I do something wrong?" she asked nervous. When she saw her father smile she was confused. "Not at all Rosebud." Steven said. "There's someone I want you to meet."

Standing next to him was a blue Gem Nora never saw before. She wore a long blue dress and her teal bangs covered her face. She was beautiful, and Nora thought she was a princess at first. "Nora, this is your Aunt Sapphire."

Nora was so excited she almost ran to hug the Gem, but she remembered from school that wasn't the proper thing to do when you first meet someone, so she did what her speech teacher, Mrs. Maisie, taught her to do. "Hi Aunt Sapphire. My name is Nora." She shook the Gem's hand. "Nice to meet you."

Sapphire hugged Nora to her surprise. "You're so polite, but you don't have to do that. I already know you Nora." She kissed Nora on the cheek and held her hand. "I would love to build the new Logg-O set with you." Nora turned star eyed. "I was just gonna ask you that! Wow! You really can see the future!" The little girl excitedly bounced on her heels. "Dad? Can I play with Aunt Sapphire?"

"Of course Rosebud."

Steven watched Sapphire and Nora walking down the hallway, smiling. "Ohh look at my sweetie Sapphy!" Ruby peeked out from the corner of the hall. "She's so adorable with Nora, I love her so much."

Steven chuckled. It was his idea to introduce Nora to the bonded Gems one at a time as not to overwhelm her, and so she could spend time getting to know them individually. "Nora will be just fine."

Nora led Sapphire to the Toy Room, filled with her stuffed animals, video games, and other toys the Gems set aside for her to play with. She pushed the huge box in the center of the room labeled _Logg-O City._

"For children ages 6 and up. Adult assembly suggested." Sapphire read the label. "Yes, appropriate for us. We are both above six years old and I am what humans call an adult. This should be a lot of fun."

"It is." Nora said, toppling the box over and opening it up. "Dad and me build Logg-Os all the time. This one's new and I never did it before, so I thought we could build them together."

"That is a great idea." Sapphire approved, watching Nora dump out the contents. So many pieces, it almost looked impossible for them to complete, but she saw they would finish it together before the day was done.

"Nora sweetie, please wear something on your feet . It'll hurt if you step on these pieces." Nora, who was barefoot, quickly ran up to her room to put on some socks.

When she came back, Nora went right to it, asking Sapphire to help her organize the bricks . "You have to do that first or else it's gonna be really hard later. All the same colors go together " She bit the bottom of her lip. " There's a lot of them, it says there's three hundred pieces but if we work together, we'll be just fine. Here, I'll show you how to make piles of them."

Sapphire and Nora began organizing the Logg-O bricks. Sapphire was surprised how talkative the child was. Steven warned that his daughter might be extremely quiet around her at first and she was very shy around new people, both humans and Gems, but once she warms up to someone she'll talk a lot.

She must've warmed up to Sapphire the moment they met.

Nora told Sapphire about everything she liked, the different Logg-O sets she built with Steven, her favorite toys, her art class in school, the playground with the climbing wall, and especially all things Gem related that she read in her books. Steven prepared Sapphire that Nora had tendency to go on about things without letting the other person talk, she didn't mean to do this, she was just excited about things she spoke of.

Sapphire didn't mind this, she could've listened to Nora talk all day, especially knowing there was a time not far in the past where her parent's worried she'd never speak. Nora had been nonverbal until she was well past three and it had taken many hours of in home and at school speech classes to teach her how to communicate. It seemed to her those classes really paid off.

"See all they gray pieces?" Nora grouped them together in a pile. "They're the bottom for everything. We have to put them together first and then build everything else on top, like real buildings."

"That makes perfect sense." Sapphire said as they began building their city from the ground up. Either it was intuitive on Nora's part, or she was just being curious, she asked a question. "Aunt Sapphire, can you see everything before it happens?"

" I can see possibilities of what may happen ." She answered. "Some possibilities are clearer than others, and those are more likely to come true."

Nora scratched her head. "So it's kinda like this. Let's say we both went to the Big Donut, and there were four donuts. Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and coconut, but I could only pick one. You'd see the possibilities of each flavor being picked. Four donuts, four chances."

"Yes. This is true."

"But when I look over them I know I probably won't pick the strawberry because it's pink and I don't like pink things except for my pet lion, and I already ate a chocolate donut the last time, so I probably won't pick that one either. Do those choices become more foggy in your sight because there's less of a chance I'll pick them?"

"That is correct." Sapphire said. "The other possible futures where you'll chose either a vanilla or coconut donut become clearer, because there's a higher chance you will eat either of them."

"Yeah, exactly." Nora nodded. "But then I decide I want the coconut one because I had it Kimchi's birthday party and liked it. That choice becomes the clearest in your future vision, more than the vanilla, and that's what I end up eating."

"Yes." Sapphire answered. "That's a very good way of thinking about how my future vision works. You're have a very good intellect."

"What's that mean?"

"It means you have a great way of understanding things that may be difficult to other people."

"Oh." Nora blinked. "Thank you."

They continued building the the city, watching it rise up brick by brick. Sometime Nora would have trouble finding a piece, or putting them together, but Sapphire was able to help, using her future vision to find the missing bricks and the right match. Sapphire enjoyed the work of finding the right pieces and putting them together, and she enjoyed Nora's company even more. She was a happy child just like her father was, and an absolute joy to be around.

She couldn't wait until Ruby got to meet her.

"Aunt Sapphire, can I ask you something else?"

"Of course Nora dear. What would you like to know?"

"Are you married?" She pointed to the Gem's finger. "Aunt Garnet has two rings and I thought she just liked wearing them, but then I saw this one on your ring finger. You have a wedding ring, just like Mom and Dad."

"Yes, I am." Sapphire smiled. "To Ruby. We were the first Gems to get married."

"I didn't know that." Nora said. "That's cool, I wish I could've gone to your wedding, nobody invited me." She said this with a pout.

"You weren't born yet, sweetie." Sapphire chuckled, revealing her single eye to Nora. (This didn't frighten her, she knew Sapphires only had one eye) "But you'll be in the next one."

"Really?" Nora said excited. "When? Who's getting married?"

"You'll find out." Sapphire smiled. "Some things are better left as a surprise." _But it will be soon._ She thought to herself, Bismuth already crafted engagement rings for herself and her beloved Pearl.

The Logg-O city was completed soon after. Nora and Sapphire looked over their work with pride. "It's not done yet." Nora added the figurines from the box into the city, along with the Lizzie Lemur figures." "Now it's an animal and people city. They live and talk to each other."

"It's perfect Nora." Sapphire said. "I enjoyed building it with you." "Thank you." Nora said. "Thanks for helping me build it. I'm gonna go show my Dad." Before she left to get Steven, Sapphire took her hand. "Wait."

Nora turned her head. "What is it Aunt Sapphire."

"The future is not set in stone, the future is what you make it. I may see the paths, but it is your decision to choose which one to take."

Nora nodded, jogging out of the room to show Steven their accomplishment. While she was alone Sapphire quickly looked into her future vision at Nora's paths. The girl had so many different paths, so many different outcomes, but in every one she was happy, healthy, and loved. 

"Hmm, a Black Pearl, a Lapis Lazuli, and a Jade / Fire Opal fusion, I wonder who they will become to her." Sapphire didn't search further, some things were better left as a surprise.


	4. Adventure with Ruby

Steven expected Nora to be shy around Ruby for two reasons; One. Where Sapphire was calm and quiet Ruby was loud and boisterous, Nora often had trouble with people like that because of her sensitive ears and she couldn't tell if somebody was being angry or happy. Second.....dear stars he felt himself glow pink from thinking about it...her last experience with a Ruby was anything but nice.

He prepared his daughter as much as he could. Telling her that Ruby might be loud but that's only because she's happy and she isn't yelling at her and that not all Rubies were mean, her aunt was a very nice person like Sapphire.

Steven wasn't at all surprised by Nora's quietness at their first meeting. She averted eye contact and partially hid behind his leg. "It's okay Rosebud." Steven reassured her. "Ruby already knows you as Garnet." Nora glanced up at her father nervously. He gently nudged her. "Go on. Say hello." Nora clenched her fists and stepped close to her Gem Aunt. "Hello."

"Hi Nora!" Ruby said joyfully, causing Nora to cover her ears from her loud voice. "Oh, sorry! I forgot you're sensitive to loud noises." She smiled . "There's a lot of things I know about you through Garnet , but there are more things I don't. I really wanna get to know you Nora, because we're family and we could also be best friends too. So, whaddy'a say?"

Nora quickly glanced up at Steven, who gave a quick nod. "Sure." Nora said, more at ease from her father's reassurance. Besides, it would be nice to have another friend.

.....

When Ruby told her she was a camp ranger for Little Homeschool, she knew exactly what she wanted to do. "Lets go on a woods adventure!"  
  
"That's a great idea!" Ruby jumped excitedly. Soon, she found herself hiking in the local park with Ruby, who was dressed in a ranger outfit with Nora following behind, clutching Rigby with a plush lemur poking its head out of her backpack . "Nora stay with me!" Ruby called. Nora raced up next to her. "Sorry."

Even though she knew her Aunt Ruby was a good person, she was still nervous around her and often shied away when she got too close. She couldn't help it, she still remembered the last time she was with a Ruby. She pretended to be friendly but turned out to be very mean and tried to kidnap her in revenge. That Ruby had a gemstone on her eye and was now bubbled in jail on Homeworld, and her friend, the Aquamarine.....she never again wanted to think about what happened to her. She wished she'd forgotten the whole thing.

Ruby stopped and asked her to sit on the bench. "Nora, I know you're afraid of me because of what happened, and that's okay. But I'm nothing like her, you're my niece and I love you so much. I promise I will never, ever hurt you. I cross my heart." She crossed her heart in front of her. "Lets do something fun together. There's a lot of nice things we can see. What do you want to do?"

Nora thought for a moment. "Can we go on the playground?" She asked "And then go walking on the trails like Jackie and Ally from _Lizzie Lemur_ and look for animals?" "That's a great idea!" Ruby smiled. Together they went to the playground. Nora had an absolute ball, climbing up the ladders and swinging across the monkey bars, swooping down the slide with glee. Ruby joined along with her to, helping Nora across the jungle gym and cheering her on as she climbed up the bars.

"Aunt Ruby watch what I can do!" Nora stood bravely on top of the half dome climber. "Nora! don't do it! Just climb down!" Ruby waved her arms franticly. "It's okay! Just watch!" Nora jumped right off and floated to the ground with joyous laughter. 

Ruby was stunned. "Oh my stars I didn't know you could do that!" She gaped. Nora shook herself and trotted to her. "Yeah, isn't it so cool?" She smiled bright eyed.

"It's really cool." She smiled, her mind racing. _She got that from Steven, what other Gem abilities did she inherit?_ "Have you done that before?" 

"Yes. Lots of times." Nora said proudly. "Dad told me I'm only allowed to do that when I'm the only one on the playground because other kids will get jealous." She didn't know the other adults had given her and her parents weird looks, or watched one of the Moms take their child away when he asked her how she was able to float, murmuring out of her earshot that Nora was a bad influence.

"Hmm that's interesting." Ruby remarked. " I'd rather you climb down from now on, just because it's safer and I don't want you getting hurt by accident." "Oh." Nora said disappointed. "Okay." Ruby saw her expression looked like a crushed spirit and felt extremely guilty. _What other Gem powers does she have, how many times has Steven discouraged her from using them?_ "Hey! How 'bout we go on that hike and look for animals like you wanted to?"

Nora turned star eyed. "Yeah that's a great idea!" She unzipped her backpack and showed Ruby her plush Lemur and animal journal. "Look! I've got Lizzie and the journal they use in the show!" "That's perfect! What if when we walk you can spot the animals and I'll write down what I saw in your journal? Do you like that idea?" Nora furiously nodded.

Ruby decided they'd take the Woodland Trail, ideal for spotting a variety of wildlife. Nora was very exited she'd get to play out one of her favorite TV shows in real life. "What's _Lizzie Lemur_ about?" Ruby asked.

"Its about these two friends Allie, a human, and Jackie, a Jasper who are explorers and get shipwrecked on a magical island where animals from all over the world come and visit. They meet a black and white ruffed lemur named Lizzie, who talks to them when she eats magic garbanzo beans. Lizzie takes them on adventures across the world through the magic island to meet the different animals."

"That sounds so cool." Ruby said. "How did they get the lemur to talk? Can humans make other animals talk now?"

"No silly!" Nora laughed. "Lizzie's a real life lemur and when she eats the magic garbanzo beans she's a puppet."

"Ohhhh. That makes so much more sense." Ruby said. "Do they write stuff down in their journal?"

"Uh huh." Nora nodded. "That's what we're gonna do. You ready?"

"Ready Freddie!" Ruby cheered. "Come on explorer, we've got an adventure to embark on!"

.....

Nora didn't see any animals on their nature walk except for a few birds an squirrels. Ruby said not to be discouraged, wild animals were shy around people and she needed to look carefully to find them." 

"Nora come here!" Ruby called eagerly, looking over the small bridge. "There's turtles! You see them? They're sitting on the rocks." Nora ran next to her and looked where Ruby pointed. "Yeah! there they are! Write them in the journal." She yelled excited. "And I see fish!" She showed them to the Lizzie plush.(Rigby rode in her backpack)

"See I knew we'd find some animals." Ruby smiled victoriously. "Lets search for more."

As they walked through the woods, Nora decided they should just walk on an adventure instead of actively trying to look for wildlife. "I think we'll see them when we're not looking." She took out Rigby and put Lizzie in her backpack. " Sounds good to me." Ruby smiled optimistic. They walked together on the trail through the woods and wilderness. A smile on their faces and happiness in their hearts. 

"Come on Nora!" Ruby waved the girl over when she lagged behind. Nora giggled and ran up next to her shorter aunt. "Let's go!" She cheered, singing a merry tune.

_Hey, let's go_   
_Hey, let's go_   
_I'm happy as can be_   
_Let's go walk with you and me_   
_Ready, set, come on, let's go_

_Over the hills, cross the field, through the tunnel we'll go_   
_We'll run across the bridge and down the bumpy gravel road_   
_Creep beneath the spider's web_   
_Ready, set, let's go!_   
  


Nora felt a cool breeze and saw red petals floating in the wind. She thought she heard someone calling her name, a kind sweet voice that sounded vaguely familiar. 

_Nora,_ she heard again, and turned around startled when she felt a soft brush on her shoulder like a gentle hand, but there was nobody there.

"Aunt Ruby look!!!"

A group of forest critters approached her, a deer, two rabbits, a fox, a badger, and several squirrels. Nora smiled star eyed and Ruby gaped in complete disbelief. "Come on everyone!" Nora called to the animals. "Lets walk together." With a menagerie at her heels, the two continued on. Nora singing loud.

_Hey let's go_   
_Hey Let's go_   
_I'm happy as can be_   
_Let's go walk with you and me_   
_Ready, set, come on, let's go_

_The foxes and the badgers too all come out to play_   
_They all want to explore the deep and wonderful woods all day_   
_Look at all my many friends_   
_Ready, set, let's go!_   
_Look at all my many friends_   
_Ready, set, let's go!_

.........

When they returned home, Nora wouldn't stop talking the parade of animals. Her parents went along with it, charmed by their daughter's imagination when Ruby confirmed what she saw was real. "She's not making it up, I saw it with my own eyes!" She described the curious scenario to everyone. 

_Maybe it wasn't a good idea to tell everyone_. She thought to herself later. All her Aunts looked very worried and confused. 

"Thank you for everything today Aunt Ruby." She hugged and kissed her before going to bed. Ruby smiled and winked. "Any time junior explorer. I can't wait to spend more time together."

"Me too. I really like you."

When she went to bed that night, clutching Rigby to her heart and surrounded by her plush animals, she dreamt of exploring the woods with Ruby and her animal friends again, but it wasn't just them. Someone else accompanied her, someone only she could see. Nora wouldn't remember what she looked like when she woke up the next morning, but she did remember it was a kind, motherly presence that smelled of roses and carried an air of magic.

She would not think it strange, it wasn't the first time Nora dreamt of fairies.


	5. True Kinda Love

Nora was so excited when her parents told her Ruby and Sapphire would be going with them to the Woodside cabin for the Fourth of July. The Universe family went there every year to celebrate because it was away from the fireworks that frightened the little girl.

What happened that night was something Nora would never forget.

It started out as a great day. Nora and her family spent the day at the Temple, swimming at the beach with her family, making sand castles with Amethyst, searching the water for seashells to collect with her mother. In the late afternoon, she rode on Lion with Connie who opened a portal to the cabin that everyone went through. Nora was excited for the night to come, they'd have smores over the campfire while Dad played his ukulele and Grandpa on his guitar. Mom would give her sparklers to wave around with Amethyst.

In the meantime she already what she wanted to do until then.

"Dad, can I go walking with Aunt Ruby and Aunt Sapphire?" There was a small trail that looped around the cabin Nora knew by heart, she always took it with her parents or her Gem Aunts whenever they came here and she wanted to show it to them.

"Sure you can sweetheart." 

Nora couldn't have been happier, walking on the well worn trail with her two Aunts she had now come to love. The two Gems held each other's hands as they followed Nora as she pointed out the marked trees that showed them the way and the rocks she loved to climb on. She clambered up the smaller rocks, jumping across them like a mountain goat with Ruby's assistance. Sapphire watched full of love for both of them and her sight fully on the present.

"Hey? What are those kids doing over there?" Nora turned her head to the clearing on her left watching a group of teenagers huddled around several colorful boxes. They backed several feet away and she heard a series of loud bangs that rattled her ears, jarring the bones within her skull.

It was too loud for her to handle, Nora covered her ears and tore off into the woods.

"NORA!!!" Ruby and Sapphire cried. "Look what you idiots did!!" Ruby snarled confronting the troublemaking teens. "That's totally illegal and you scared a little girl!! Get back here!!" Her feet simmered as the teens scattered.

"Ruby we have to find her!" Sapphire cried desperately, tears streaming from her eye. "This is all my fault! I should have kept my Future Vision open then I would've seen this happen!"

"It's not your fault!" Ruby consoled her. "Those kid's shouldn't be out in the woods setting off fireworks, they could cause forest fires. Come on we gotta find Nora before it gets dark. She went this way." The Gem couple followed the direction where Nora ran, calling out her name. Sapphire followed the trail of her Future Vision. "This isn't working." Sapphire wept. "I can't clearly see paths that lead to her."

"Then we'll have to work together." Ruby held out her hand with her gemstone and Sapphire took it. A bright glow overcame them and they fused. "I'm coming Nora." Garnet set on the right path determined to find her.

......

Nora ran until her feet tired out . She didn't know where she was going, her instincts only told her to run as fast as she could away from the loud noise. She curled up into a ball at the roots of a large tree, rocking her head and groaning until the noise behind her ears lessened and she came to herself. She was unaware of where she was or the fact that the sun was setting, only when everything inside her ran its course was she aware that she was completely lost and alone.

Nora cried, hugging herself and burying her head into her knees. She knew she should try to find her way home but her brain was too overwhelmed. Like the computer at school that crashed and needed time to reboot she couldn't think of how to go back until she was ready. 

She could only hope that Aunt Ruby and Aunt Sapphire found her. 

_Nora._

"Hello?" Nora jerked, nervously looking around the woods. She could've sworn she heard someone call her name. "Aunt Ruby? Aunt Sapphire? Is that you?" The wind rustled through the trees, making her flinch and huddle against the bark. _What if there are bears out here, or mountain lions? Something could be out to eat me!_ In truth, there were no large carnivores in these woods, and nothing that would eat a little girl, but when you're lost in the middle of the woods your imagination goes crazy, and Nora had a huge imagination.

_Nora, don't be afraid._

"Who's there?" Nora cried. Tears sniffled down her eyes and nose. "I'm so scared. I want my Mom and Dad." All of a sudden Nora sensed warmth in the pit of her heart and felt arms, immense and tender, wrap around her body in a loving embrace. It was extremely soothing, like when her mother hugged and comforted her during thunderstorms. Yet, nobody was there, when she looked around trying to find the person hugging her she only saw herself.

"Are you a ghost?" Nora asked unafraid, but curious. "Did you get lost in these woods too before you died?" Nora read a lot of ghost stories, usually with Kimchi under their self made tent at the beach house late at night. Some of them were scary and mean, others were kind and friendly. This one apparently was the latter. 

"Can you help me find my way home?" She felt the wind at her back and found herself walking to the southeast, and unseen force gently pulling at her hand. Nora followed the pull until she was in a part of the woods she'd never been in, and she was very afraid. What if the ghost only pretended to be nice to get her even more lost until she died herself and it now had a companion?

_This way!_ The wind gusted, causing her to turn her head to the right. Nora gasped seeing a shadowy figure beneath the trees quickly approach her. "Go away!" Nora screamed at the approaching shadow. "You said you would help me but I'm more lost! I don't wanna be your ghost friend you tricked me!"

"Nora it's me!" Garnet appeared. "Thank goodness you are all right." Nora gasped and immediately ran up and hugged her aunt. "I'm so sorry I didn't mean to run away!" Nora buried her face into Garnet's hip sobbing. "It was so loud and I was really scared!" Garnet picked her up and hugged her close. "It's okay, we're not angry at you, it wasn't your fault." She had her visor off and Nora saw three eyes. Two that were Ruby's an one that was Sapphire's. In that instant Nora finally understood. Garnet was the embodiment of their love combined and Garnet's love for Nora was a combination of Ruby and Sapphire's love. She no longer needed to be afraid of Garnet, because Nora knew who she was. 

Garnet carried Nora back to the cabin where her parents and ran to hug her. "Mommy! Daddy!" Nora laughed, hugging and kissing them. "I'm sorry." "It's okay Nora, you didn't do anything wrong." Connie held her tight, looking up at Garnet . "Thank you so much." she said sincerely.

"You're welcome." Garnet smiled. "It took the two of us together to find her." She ruffled Nora' hair. 

"We're so glad you found her." One of the teenage boys said relieved. He and his friend were extremely regretful of their actions and immediately went to the cabin to alert her parents while the rest of their friends fled the scene. Karma would eventually catch up with that group, Ruby notified the police and they were arrested. "We're really sorry about the whole thing. If we knew there was a kid around we never would've set off those fireworks."

"We shouldn't have set them off anyway, 'cause there's no telling who may have gotten scared." his friend Lyle added. "I have a cousin her age who's autistic, and the thought of Mabel getting spooked by the noise makes me feel so guilty. I hope you can forgive us."

"We do." Steven smiled. "Thank you for coming through and telling us."

"Mom! Dad! There's a ghost in the woods! She's really friendly and she led me to Aunt Garnet!" 

Nora's parents glanced at each other curious. "A ghost huh?" Connie chuckled. "That must've been very scary."

"It was at first but then she hugged me and helped me find Aunt Garnet. I couldn't see her but I knew she was there. I think she was a gardener who died from getting lost in the woods trying to find flowers to plant, and wanted to help me so I wouldn't get lost too."

"A gardener?" Steven smirked amused. "Why do you think she was a gardener?"

"Because she smelled like roses."

Later on around the campfire, Nora sat in Garnet's lap clutching Rigby. "Maybe I shouldn't have told them about the ghost. I think they were scared, because their faces looked like the scared faces Mrs. Maisie showed me on her flash cards."

"They were only worried about you." Garnet stroked her fingers through Nora's hair. Nora nestled herself against Garnet's chest. "I'm so glad you're my friend, and my Aunt too."

"I'm so happy you are my friend and my niece." Garnet kissed her forehead. "I love you Nora." 

"I love you too Aunt Garnet." Nora kissed her aunt three times. "I love you Aunt Ruby. I love you Aunt Sapphire."

Garnet chuckled, huddling Nora close against her like a mother bird. Together they watched the alluring campfire and the blanket of starlight above them. Nora hoped one day she would go to Homeworld and see her Aunts, maybe Aunt Garnet would come to, and they'd have an incredible adventure.

**THE END**

**....**

**AND THE BEGINNING**


End file.
